She’s a registered naturopath, personal trainer and spinning teacher; she coaches swimmers in a masters program at the Westbury Y; and she’s a life coach.

Oh, and she works for an IT company as a health and wellness consultant.

But that’s not all.

Swart coaches athletes for Ironman competitions (she herself has competed in six) all while working hard to establish her juicing company.

And she’s a busy mother of two.

Sound exhausting?

But it’s the marriage of all the things listed above that gives her energy and passion.

“I am so lucky to be able to do all the things I love,” she told me last week.

“I know this is what I am meant to do in this world.”

Swart, who was born and raised in South Africa, has a degree in physical education.

As a child, she loved to move — and especially to run. She said she knew, even at a young age, that she would eventually end up with a career in health and wellness.

“Helping people learn about proper nutrition and the importance of exercise is so gratifying, and if I help just one person make a difference in their health, I’m happy.”

For the past five years, she has been working with Insight, a local IT company, where she organizes running clinics, creates exercise programs and encourages employees to adopt healthier lifestyles.

“People invite me into their lives” she explained. “I don’t take over.”

It was a natural progression for Swart to become certified as a naturopath.

“The importance of eating healthy, whole foods and learning about nutrients and vitamins is a core belief for me.”

It comes in handy for her when clients ask for guidelines on eating well.

That’s where her juicing company comes in.

Swart is a big believer in juicing as both an added component to eating well, and for detox and cleanses, which, she is quick to point out, “are not for everyone.”

She makes her own line of juices with fresh vegetables and fruit, and proudly states they are “preservative free.”

“I sit with my clients and we go over what they eat, how they eat, how much they eat” she told me.

Once they’ve established that, she encourages the consumption of juice, which is one way of ingesting nutrients that are easily absorbed by the body and help eliminate toxins.

“People are just too busy these days to make their own fresh juice and smoothies, so I would do it for them.”

And her company delivers the juice directly to clients.

“They love it because they know they are getting a quality product and they don’t have to do it themselves.”

The biggest obstacle she sees with clients is in breaking long-standing habits.

“I see the people I work with in IT, and there is so much stress” she told me. “ It’s all about numbers, and they sit in front of screens and are often surrounded by junk food, and they eat without thinking, it’s become a habit.”

She said she works with them to establish good eating habits and helps them learn to manage stress.

“A couple of years ago, I went in to the cafeteria to talk to them about the importance of having healthy food options. It is so important to fuel the body properly.”

Swart often sees people who “love good food, but have poor lifestyles.”

It’s very common, she said, to see people in their 40s and 50s who are worn out, “their adrenal glands and their bodies are exhausted.”

She added that “most people think that their bodies are functioning optimally. My job is to make it run efficiently and at maximum capacity, then they’ll see and feel the difference.”

She works one-on-one with clients, and likes that approach.

“I could definitely expand my business” she told me, but doesn’t want to “dilute what I do for people.”

And that’s what motivates her: helping people live healthy lives.

On a personal level, she is training to compete in the Vermont 50, an ultra marathon over Vermont farmlands.

“I just did the Born to Run race (based on the book by Christopher McDougall) in Colorado and it was the most fantastic, unbelievable experience of my life.”

For those who don’t know, it’s apparently one of the hardest ultra marathons in the United States.

Swart came in second place in the World Ironman Championships in Hawaii, so she is no stranger to tough competition.

She said the Born to Run race is gruelling because it’s done at such high altitude and through varied weather conditions. The race is 160 kilometres. Swart completed three-quarters of the distance — and the altitude did her in.

“It’s a humbling race for sure” she said. “Doing Ironmans, you think you’ve done it all, but doing this race makes you realize there is so much more out there.”

Yup, one busy gal, all right, and always looking to push just a little bit harder.

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